Sharp pushes the Sharp Quattron TV technology heavily at the IFA 2010. It is indeed a nice differentiator for Sharp as no other TV maker is offering four color TVs. I have seen Quattron TV in action and the image quality is really impressive. Sharp’s four-primary-color technology is based on its proprietary UV2A technology. This technology newly adds Y (yellow) to the three RBG (red, blue, green) primary colors, improving the ability to faithfully reproduce colors.

At the IFA 2010 Sharp unveiled two new 3D Quattron TVs in the new new LE925 Series. Sharp has added also its F.R.E.D technology. F.R.E.D is Sharp’s proprietary high-speed LCD drive technology for side-mount Scanning LED Backlight. This brings a significant improvement in a brightness of approximately 1.8 times greater than the conventional three-primary-color LCD panels enables users to enjoy 3D images with minimal crosstalk. Below are the four main technologies Sharp offers in its 3D Quattron TVs explained in more details

Quattron – next dimension of colorsSharp has significantly further developed its own Quattron technology for use with 3D. In the Quattron system, yellow, as the fourth subpixel colour, brings brilliance to the 3D picture whilst keeping power consumption low. With the fourth subpixel, all parts of the colour spectrum that include yellow are rendered in enhanced quality. This feature is particularly noticeable for pictures in yellows and golds. Here, the light intensity is visibly increased. In addition, skin tones look more realistic, whilst greens and browns are more natural, and even blue areas appear more radiant than with conventional RGB panels. As well as enhancing the picture quality, Quattron has a positive impact on the energy balance of AQUOS LCD TVs. The extremely bright yellow subpixel lets through much more light than the red, green and blue pixels. As a result, Sharp Quattron panels require much less backlighting to render RGB content with the same picture intensity.

UV2A – optimal alignment for brilliant picture qualityIn addition to Quattron, the new Sharp 3D LCD TVs use UV2A technology. In this system, the panel film carrying the pixels is exposed to ultraviolet light during a first production stage. By this method, one side of the glass substrate is given a structure that effectively aligns the liquid crystal molecules. With UV2A, for the first time anywhere in the world, 1920 x 1080 pixels can be aligned with picometric precision. Once again, this new technology from Sharp has the added advantage of making better use of the LCD panel backlight. The results are further improvements in both picture quality and energy efficiency.

F.R.E.D. – 200 Hertz for fast-moving and very bright picturesThe optimised refresh rate (F.R.E.D. = Frame Rate Enhanced Drive) plays an important role in the clear rendition of high-speed picture sequences. Here, Sharp uses a 200-Hertz process for an even faster succession of individual pictures (“frames”). With F.R.E.D., Sharp has halved the number of electronic conductor tracks required to control the individual pixels. Consequently, the proportion of dark (non-translucent) segments in this part of the display is reduced. The results, yet again, are improved utilisation of the backlight and therefore increased panel brightness, which in turn have positive effects on both the energy balance and 3D picture quality.

Shutter technology – symbiosis between LCD TV and glassesTo produce the subjective 3D effect for the viewer, Sharp uses shutter technology. In the shutter system, the same number of separate frames is displayed alternately for the left and right eye, at a frequency of 60 Hz for each eye (giving a total of 120 Hz). A pair of "shutter glasses” is synchronized with the display, so that the left and right lenses open and close alternately at exactly the same rate as the frames for the relevant eye. Each lens can be compared to a large liquid crystal on an LCD display, switching between transparent and dark as it is activated or deactivated. Due to the high speed of the frame sequence, the human eye is unable to perceive this alternate opening and shutting of the glasses. As a result, the impression of a three-dimensional image is generated in the human brain.

Along with LE925 series, Sharp will introduce LE924, LE824, LE814 AQUOS Quattron LCD TV series. These models feature the four-primary-color technology that render rich colors and deliver outstanding image for 2D pictures. LE924, LE824, and LE814 series also features network connection which offers wide range of internet services including video streaming and web browsing functions.Sharp will strive to further expand the AQUOS Quattron LCD TV line-up, and continue to develop LCD TVs with high image quality and energy performance, and lead the way into a new era of color video.

The IFA 2010 Consumer Electronics Show will take place in Berlin from September 3rd to September 8th. The IFA 2010 is celebrating the 50th edition and we will be reporting about all the new announcements. Stay tuned for tons of 3D TV related news.

The Author

Luigi LugmayrLuigi Lugmayr (Google+) is the founding chief Editor of I4U News and brings over 15 years
experience in the technology field to the ever evolving and exciting
world of gadgets. He started I4U News back in 2000 and evolved it into
vibrant technology magazine.
Luigi can be contacted directly at ml@i4u.com.